The Lakers were disappointed by the results of Game 5 at home Wednesday night, and knew moving back to Houston they'd need a much better Game 6 to eliminate the Rockets.
And that's what they got.
The Lakers used a good-enough offense, with low turnovers (10) and good 3-point shooting (12-28, 43%) in combination with an excellent defense -- the Rockets shot 35% from the floor and weren't a force on the offensive glass (despite a LOT of opportunities). LeBron James led the way with 28 points, on 10-25 shooting. Rui Hachimura was massive, with 21 points, fueled by 5-7 shooting from downtown. Austin Reaves finished with 15, but was integral in the third quarter (eight points) and overall was very effective getting into the paint. Seven early points from Jake LaRavia was a nice boost, too.
Oh, 16 rebounds and stellar D from Deandre Ayton.
Overall, the Lakers changed some small things. They pushed harder on misses, especially in the first half, to find easier buckets or at the least force Houston to scramble a little defensively. They sent fewer doubles at Alperin Sengun. They found ways into the paint. They cleaned up the TOs.
All in all, a great end to a fantastic series for the Lakers. Even against a Rockets team missing Kevin Durant, to advance in six games when Luka Dončić didn't play, and Austin Reaves didn't appear until Game 5.
Lakers fans have plenty of reasons to be proud, even with an incredibly difficult challenge coming against Oklahoma City.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
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